Britan's former leading counterterrorist officer, Bob Quick, is paying the price today for a security gaffe that compromised a police operation. But Quick is not the first to be caught out by the long lens of the press.

Caroline Flint, pictured with a document about the housing crisis as she arrives for a Cabinet Meeting at 10 Downing Street Photograph: Lewis Whyld/PA

Last year, housing minister Caroline Flint was photographed on her way in to No 10 ready to brief cabinet colleagues on plunging property prices. But before the shiny black door had shut behind her, the bad news was out. Her briefing document was in a clear folder, showing, as the photographs revealed, that the housing market was expected to drop by at least 5% to 10%, but "we can't tell how bad it will get".

Former US president George Bush was caught out when a Reuters snapper spied him writing an important note Condoleezza Rice during a Security Council meeting at the 2005 World Summit. What was the world's most powerful man saying to his secretary of state? "How can we win over the Chinese?" or "What can we offer those pesky Russians?" No, it was: "I think I may need a bathroom break? Is this possible?"

"It just had the lunch list. It had sandwich requests for the guys, just making sure who wants the tuna, who wants the beef, who wants the ham," he said initially. However, he soon changed his story. "I haven't put numbers next to them yet, have I? We don't know what order they will go out, so some are safe."

Eventually he came clean. "OK, I've been caught. I've learned a lesson."

Hazel Blears once unwittingly revealed an email print out disclosing the BBC's hopes for making Gordon Brown the star of a new reality show, Junior PM. The show would be aimed at a Maria/Strictly Come Dancing audience and could possibly make the prime minister "more popular than Sir Alan Sugar". According to Blear's notes, the PM was going to bring the show up on the margins of the cabinet.

Not even Tony Blair was able to hide all his papers from prying lenses. In 2003, at the height of the storm over the sexed-up dossier, the beleaguered Blair was pictured with his briefing notes, ready for PMQs. The green tags dotted around the pages revealed which subjects were on his mind. One stood out - Gilligan.